


A Christmas Story

by RedBeautyFTW



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Red Beauty - Freeform, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 07:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBeautyFTW/pseuds/RedBeautyFTW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiny bit of an AU: Ruby wants some alone time with Belle for the holidays.. but having a 5 year old daughter makes it a little difficult... (Contains Swan Queen and their 5 year old daughter)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All I Want for Christmas

Ruby rubbed her hand across her face, thankful that this night had finally come to an end. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall as she slowly removed her apron. It was still early enough. Belle should have put their daughter down for bed by now and soon they would spend Christmas eve alone together as planned. 

 

The bell over the door sounded bringing Ruby's attention back to it. She smiled at the tiny dark haired child running toward her, dragging her stuffed dragon along side her. "Auntie Ruby!" she shouted, picking up her pace.

 

Ruby took a few steps closer, bending down to catch the child as she jumped into her waiting arms. "Eva, what are you doing here so late?"

 

The child leaned back causing Ruby to tighten her grip so she wouldn't topple backwards. She pointed her dragon toward the door. "Mommy said we could stop by and see you before Santa came."

 

Emma walked inside the dinner lugging a few bags. "Eva, I told you to wait for me." she stated, exasperated. She shook her head, releasing a small sigh as she dropped her packages on the nearest table. "Hey."

 

Ruby chuckled lightly and walked toward her. "What's all this?" she inquired, giving Eva a kiss on the cheek before placing her back down.

 

Emma glanced down at her daughter with a smile. "This little monster wants to bake cookies for the party tomorrow." She laughed when her daughter shot her an adorable glare. "What's that look for?"

 

"I'm not a monster, mommy!" She swayed back and forth, her eyes focused on the dragon as she tugged on it's tail. "I'm a Princess."

 

Ruby released a quick laugh and Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, excuse me, your highness." she teased, ruffling her daughter's dark hair. She returned her attention to Ruby. "I thought we were going to miss you. Shouldn't you be heading home?"

 

Ruby glanced at the clock on the wall once again. "Yeah, actually, I was just about to get out of here." She removed her apron and tossed it over her shoulder. "Belle should have put Ariel down--"

 

"I wanna see Ariel!" Eva shrieked, interrupting her Auntie. She tugged on Ruby's shirt. "Auntie Ruby, can I see Ariel?"

 

Ruby knealt down to look into Eva's bright green eyes. It was the one feature that Emma had claim to. "Sweetheart, she's in bed right now." She cupped her chin, smiling warmly at her. "You'll see her tomorrow."

 

Eva's pout broadened. "But, I wanna show her my dragon." She held up the stuffed toy and pushed it closer to Ruby.

 

Ruby chuckled lightly, giving the dragon's snout a small squeeze. "And I'm sure she'd love to see it, but she's sleeping..."

 

"And you should be too." Emma added, stroking her daughters hair. "Or Santa will totally skip our house because he won't be able to surprise you."

 

Eva released a small little gasp. She reached up, grabbing her mother's hand and pulled. "We gotta go now, mommy! Come on! You and Mama hafta tuck me in!" She tugged harder. "Bye, Auntie Ruby! See you tomorrow!"

 

Emma felt herself stumble forward, surprised by the strength of her child. "Okay, okay. I'm coming." She reached out and grabbed the bags from the table. She motioned her chin toward Ruby. "Don't be late tomorrow."

 

Ruby smiled. "We won't." She gave them a short wave as they walked out of the door...

 

**********************

 

"Belle?" Ruby called out as she walked further into their home. "Belle! I'm home!"

 

"Shhhhh!" Belle ordered, rushing into the living room to greet her wife. "You'll wake Ariel." She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "You don't even know what I've been through trying to get your daughter to go to sleep."

 

"My daughter?" Ruby smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Why is it when she's being difficult she's my daughter?"

 

Belle furrowed her brow. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

 

Ruby narrowed her eyes. She stepped toward her wife and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Someone has been having too many play dates with Regina. Her sass is rubbing off on you." She leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. She pulled back slowly and smiled. "And hi, by the way."

 

Belle chuckled softly. "Hi.." She placed her hand on the side of Ruby's face. "I'm sorry. It's just.. Ariel has been non stop all day. It took forever to just get her to lay down.. and then I had to put the presents from Santa under the tree and she got up again to ask me about twenty questions within two minutes..." She exhaled heavily trying to regain control of her sanity. "She has a ridiculous amount of curiosity."

 

"I wonder where she gets that from." Ruby teased, receiving the same glare she had given Belle only a few moments ago. She smiled broadly at the look and pulled Belle impossibly closer. "Listen, she's asleep now so why don't we go upstairs and spend a quiet, child free Christmas eve together." 

 

A small smile slowly made it's way onto Belle's lips. "That sounds wonderful." She slid her arms around Ruby's shoulders, her fingers gently stroked the back of her loves neck. 

 

"And, you know.." Ruby leaned down, place a small kiss to Belle's neck. "We don't have to go to sleep anytime soon." Her lips trailed a small line upward.

 

Belle's eyes closed instantly at the contact. Her fingers gripped Ruby's dark hair tightly. "What did you have in mind then?" she teased, taking in a sharp breath when Ruby's teeth nicked her ear.

 

Ruby leaned back to look into her eyes. "Oh, I don't know." She grinned. "Maybe we could just start off like this and see where it leads.." She slowly moved closer, her lips hovering close to Belle's.

 

"Mommy, you're home!" Ariel screeched, hurrying down the last set of steps, dragging her blanket behind her.

 

Ruby's attention quickly turned toward her daughter who was bounding toward her. "Ariel, honey, what are you doing out of bed?" she questioned, catching her daughter in her arms and lifting her into a hug.

 

"I was just about to ask the same question." Belle added, regaining her composure and crossing her arms against her chest. "Sweetheart, you are supposed to be asleep."

 

"I know, but I heard Mommy's voice and I was happy she was home cause now she won't miss Santa." Ariel's eyes focused on Ruby's collar as she tugged gently on it. "Mommy, Santa is gonna bring me a bike for Christmas, right?"

 

Ruby smiled as she watched her daughter. "I don't know, sweetie." She raised her hand, running her fingers through the mess of auburn hair. "And you won't know either if you stay awake. Santa only comes when you're asleep." She tried to catch her daughters attention which was focused on the material of her mother's shirt. "Do you understand?"

 

Ariel nodded. "Yes, mommy."

 

Belle took a step closer, resting her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Then we should get you back to bed." she suggested with a smile as she reached up and stroked her daughter's hair.

 

Ariel nodded again. "Otay, mama."

 

Ruby turned to face her wife. "I'll take her." She leaned in and placed a small kiss on her waiting lips. "Why don't you go get ready for.. um.." She grinned and tossed her a wink. "...bed."

 

"Don't be long." She gave Ruby a kiss then Ariel. She cupped her daughter's cheek and smiled adoringly at her. "Sleep well, Angel. I love you."

 

"Love you, mama."

 

*************************

 

Ruby walked into the bedroom about twenty minutes later wearing an exasperated expression. "Man, our kid can talk." she sighed, removing her shoes. She turned to face her wife. "She was going on and on about--" Her words caught abruptly in her throat at the sight waiting for her on the bed.

 

Belle was lying there, her back against the headboard, wearing a dark blue teddie. Her attention was focused on the book she had started reading. Her leg was bent, revealing more of her perfect, smooth skin. Ruby had every urge to rush to her and touch every inch of it.

 

"I told you she was being difficult." Belle reminded, her eyes focused on the pages. She smirked as she turned the page. "Like mother like daughter."

 

Belle shrieked as her body was tugged forward, the book flying out of her hand. Before she knew it, Ruby was hovering over her with a wolfish grin. "How about..." she began as leaned down and brushed her lips lightly against Belle's. "...I make the rest of your night really easy?"

 

"That sounds wonderful." Belle replied, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck.

 

Ruby's grin spread as she leaned in closer, her lips barely touched Belle's when...

 

"Mommy, mama.. how will Santa find the house??"

 

"You've got to be kidding me." Ruby groaned, burying her face in the pillow. Belle chuckled lightly as she patted Ruby's back signaling for her to move. The waitress rolled off her wife, her arm instantly covering her eyes as the pitter patter of tiny feet across the wood floor came closer. "Santa will find us, Ariel, I promise."

 

"But how mommy?" Ariel placed her hands on the mattress. "How will he know where we live? Is he gonna stay for breafast?" She pushed her hands into the mattress, grabbing the sheets as she attempted to pull herself onto the bed. She released a tiny grunt before raising her arms to Belle. "Mama, help."

 

Belle couldn't help but smile as she sat up and helped her daughter onto the bed. She held her in her arms as she looked into her tiny bright blue eyes. "I'm guessing the only way you'll sleep is if you sleep here. Is that correct?"

 

Ariel smiled at her. It was Ruby's smile. Big and bright. "Can I, Mama?"

 

"May I." Belle corrected, touching the tip of her daughter's nose. She turned to Ruby. "Is that okay with you, mommy?" she asked, the laugher lacing her voice as she heard Ruby growl.

 

"She's like a tiny little chastity belt sometimes." Ruby mumbled, receiving a small smack from Belle.

 

"Wassa chassy belt?" Ariel inquired, scrunching her brow in question.

 

"It's nothing, sweetheart." Belle informed her quickly as Ruby propped herself up on her elbows and grinned. She shot Ruby a look. "Mommy is just being sassy."

 

"Ohhh.." Ariel turned to Ruby and flashed the same adorable smile. "So may I, mommy?"

 

Ruby felt her resolve weaken and she sighed. "Of course, baby."

 

Ariel released a happy squeal before jumping from Belle's lap and snuggling between her parents. "G'night, mommy. G'night, mama. I love you."

 

"We love you too, sweetheart." Belle whispered, placing a small kiss on her daughter's forehead.

 

Ruby kissed the side of her temple. "Merry Christmas, baby girl." she added as Ariel snuggled closely into their warmth and drifted off to sleep. She brushed her daughter's hair from her face and smiled softly. 

 

Belle leaned over their daughter and pressed a small kiss to Ruby's lips. "Completely your child." she teased as Ruby laughed lightly.

 

Ruby reached out and ran her fingers through Belle's soft brown hair. "Our child." she corrected as Belle returned her smile and kissed her once again.....


	2. There's No Place Like Home (for the Holidays)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The families get together for Christmas Day.. Ruby calls in a favor from Emma…

It was about mid afternoon by the time the families finished exchanging gifts. The house was filled with the sounds of laughter and children screaming with joy. Charming chased the girls around the living room, laughing as they screamed in mock fear. Granny shouted for them to use their inside voices, but was completely ignored. She rolled her eyes, grunting at Ruby for passing her "terror filled genes" onto Ariel.

 

Belle sat on the arm of the couch watching as her wife played a videogame with Henry and Emma. She smiled when Emma shoved her in an attempt to get her to drop her controller. "Knock it off!" Ruby shouted, pushing Emma back. "You're setting a bad example for your kid, you know."

 

Emma made a face and huffed. "Who do you think taught me how to cheat?"

 

Henry smirked. "Guilty." he admitted, reaching out to knock the controller out of Emma's hand. 

 

"Henry!" she scolded, jumping on her son and attacking him playfully.

 

"Games over, I guess." Ruby sighed, tossing her controller onto the table. She leaned back and smiled up at her wife. "Where's Ariel?"

 

Belle looked around and saw her finally playing quietly in the corner with Eva. "She's with Eva, of course." She turned her attention to her wife, smiling down at her. "I'm going to go help Regina in the kitchen." She brushed her fingers over her wife's cheek. "Promise me you won't kill anyone while I'm gone."

 

Ruby chuckled lightly, pulling Belle onto her lap. "I would never commit murder in front of our daughter." she joked, giving Belle a soft kiss. She pulled back slowly with a smile. "Hey, how about we exchange gifts tonight after Ariel is asleep?"

 

Belle looked at her confused. "Gifts? Sweetheart, we agreed to focus on Ariel and the rest of the family. We weren't supposed to get each other anything."

 

Ruby shifted so she was a bit closer to her. "Um, let's just say I didn't buy what I have for you." She raised an eyebrow and grinned.

 

A blank stare covered Belle's face as she looked into Ruby's eyes. Ruby stared back, silently communicating with her. After a minute, Belle's blue eyes widened and a small "oh" escaped her lips. She smiled brightly at Ruby and leaned in closer.

 

"I think I have the perfect thing to wear for our gift exchange." she whispered, giving Ruby a slow, passionate kiss. She broke the kiss much too soon as far as Ruby was concerned and grinned. Without another word, she jumped from Ruby's lap and sauntered toward the kitchen.

 

Ruby watched her go. A smack on her shoulder brought her attention to Emma. "What?" she asked, flashing her a strange look.

 

"Good luck having a..." She raised her hands and made face quotations in the air. "Gift exchange with your... What did you call her? Walking, talking chastity belt in the house." She huffed a small laugh. "You know Ariel is going to be too wired to sleep tonight. Her and Eva have been running around like crazy people."

 

Ruby inched closer, wrapping her arm around Emma's shoulders. "That's where Auntie Emma and Auntie Regina come in." She grinned broadly at her friend.

 

Emma's eyes slowly widened as she shook her head. "No way, Ruby." She waved her hands in front of herself. "Eva is going to be enough. I don't think I can handle two tonight."

 

Ruby scrunched her brow. "Henry will help." She leaned forward and looked at him. "Right, bud?"

 

Henry's focus was on the television. He was barely listening to the conversation around him, but still managed a "Yeah, sure, Ruby. Whatever you need."

 

"See. You have extra help."

 

Emma grunted and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She pointed at her friend, sternly. "But you get them both on New Years."

 

"Done." Ruby turned on the couch, smiling at the sight of her daughter and Eva playing with their new toys. "Ariel, do you want to stay with Eva tonight?"

 

Ariel turned to her mother and shook her head frantically. "Yes, Mommy! Can I??"

 

Eva turned her head, her green eyes bright with enthusiasm. "Can she, mommy??"

 

Emma sighed with a smile. "Of course she can, princess." she replied, shooting Ruby a look that caused the waitress to laugh.

 

"Yay!" the girls shouted in unison as they stood up and started to terrorize the house once again.

 

*****************************

 

Belle flipped through the cookbook making sure she and Regina had followed the recipe exactly. Regina leaned over, opening the oven. She smiled as she saw how perfectly her meal was cooking. It may have taken awhile. Many meals have been sacrificed. But, she was proud to say, she had finally become an accomplished cook.

 

"It's says it will take one hour." Belle said, glancing up from the pages.

 

Regina nodded, straightening up and wiping her hands with a towel. "Alright." She turned to Belle. "I guess we should join the rest of the family while we wait."

 

Belle closed the book and placed it on the counter. "Are we sure we should leave the kitchen?" She smiled. "I don't feel all this food is safe with our wives lurking about."

 

Regina tossed her towel onto the counter. "I have the perfect tool to keep Emma at bay." She searched for a moment before picking up a wooden spoon. She inspected it, a wicked smirk crossing her lips. "This should work."

 

Belle chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't think I can hit Ruby with something like that."

 

"Have you tried a rolled up newspaper?"

 

"You're horrible!" Belle teased, laughing loudly.

 

Ruby and Emma entered the kitchen at that very moment. Curiosity covered their features as Belle's laughter slowed. "What's so funny?"

 

Belle cleared her throat and shook her head. "Nothing, sweetheart." she lied as Ruby wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek. "What brings you in here?"

 

Emma walked over to a pot sitting on the stove. "Ruby said something smelled good so I thought we should investigate." She picked up a spoon and dipped it into the pot. "I bet it taste just as good as it smells."

 

Just as she brought the spoon to her lips, a spoon connected with her hand. She dropped the spoon and grunted at the stinging in her hand. Her eyes immediately met the stern gesture from Regina. Her wife shook her finger and pointed toward the door.

 

"Out." Regina ordered as the door opened and two tiny figures walked into the kitchen.

 

"Come on, 'Gina." Emma pleaded as Eva walked closer and tugged on her mother's jeans. "It's just a taste." She reached down and picked up her daughter, cradling her against her hip.

 

The others could not hold in the laughter. Ruby picked up her daughter, smiling as Ariel showed her the stuffed flounder she received from Snow. Regina took a step closer to her wife, smiling at Eva as she brushed her dark hair away from her face. She kissed her daughter's forehead before narrowing her eyes at her wife.

 

"I told you no tasting before dinner."

 

Emma huffed a laugh. "It's not a big deal."

 

Regina crossed her arms against her chest. "So, me asking you to do something isn't a big deal. Am I understanding you correctly, Ms. Swan?"

 

Emma cringed. "Babe, is that name really necessary?"

 

"Who's Ms, Swan?" Eva asked, adorably as her eyes flickered from one parent to the next.

 

Regina smiled at her again. "Ms. Swan is the name your mommy has when she does something bad."

 

Eva looked at Emma. "You did something bad, mommy?"

 

"No, sweetie." She glanced at Regina. "Mama is just exaggerating." She placed Eva back down on the floor. "Why don't you and Ariel go play with papa Charming."

 

"Or go run around granny Snow." Regina suggested. "And make sure you scream really, really loud."

 

Emma tilted her head. "Now who's being bad?" she questioned as Regina wrinkled her nose and smirked.

 

"Okay." Eva agreed as Ruby placed Ariel down. "Bye mama. Bye Ms. Swan." She took Ariel's hand and rushed out of the kitchen.

 

The room burst into loud laughter as Emma threw her hands up. "That's just great! Nice thing to teach our kid, Regina." she scolded as the laughter surrounding her grew louder...


	3. Silent Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby plans a romantic evening with Belle since their daughter is spending the night at the Swan-Mills home, but things just don’t go as planned…

Ruby had to admit she was enjoying the quiet that filled the house. It had been such a long time since she and Belle had spent a romantic evening alone. She loved her daughter with everything she had, but it was nice to just be a couple... if only for a few hours.

 

She fixed the sheets on the bed, repositioning the pillows so everything was just right. Soft music filled the dimly lit room as Ruby waited patiently for Belle to return. She could hear soft footsteps in the hallway and Belle entered wearing the same dark blue teddie she had on the previous night.

 

Without saying a word, Ruby crossed the small space between them and kissed her wife passionately. Belle wrapped her arms around her neck, her hand tangling in her wife's hair. Ruby's hands lowered, gripping her waist as she lifted Belle from the ground. The librarian's legs wrapped tightly around her waist as Ruby walked her toward the bed, never once breaking the kiss.

 

She placed Belle onto the mattress, landing softly on top of her. Her lips moved to Belle's cheek and down her neck. She nipped softly at the skin, hearing a small moan escape Belle's lips. Ruby smiled at the sound as she made her way further down her wife's neck.

 

"Do you think Ariel is okay?"

 

The question was out of place. Ruby stopped in mid movement as she raised her head and met Belle's eyes. "What?"

 

Belle smiled sheepishly. "Do you think Ariel is okay?"

 

Ruby lowered her head with a groan as she rolled off her wife. "Belle, seriously..." she sighed, rubbing her face. "She's fine. She's spent the night over there plenty of times."

 

Belle pouted, rolling onto her side. She cuddled into Ruby and wrapped her arm around her waist. "But, those nights weren't Christmas."

 

Ruby wrapped her arm around Belle, holding her closer. She lightly rubbed her back, taking in a deep breath and releasing it. "You want me to go get her, don't you?"

 

Belle bit her lip and nodded. She ran her finger back and forth across Ruby's stomach. "Would you mind?"

 

Ruby turned her head to look at Belle once again. "You know she's going to have a fit because we promised her she could stay with Eva."

 

"But, it's Christmas and we should all be together..." She paused as a solution came to mind. "Maybe we can just spend the night at Emma and Regina's. They have plenty of room and we're all pretty much family and you should always spend the holidays with family...."

 

Ruby placed her finger over Belle's lip, silencing her. She chuckled lightly and shook her head. "I'll call Emma."

 

Belle's eyes brightened as she kissed Ruby happily. "Thank you, sweetheart." She cupped her wife's face, giving her another small kiss, enjoying the feel of her smile against her lips.

 

Ruby pulled back slowly, raising an eyebrow in question. "So, I guess our gift exchange..."

 

"Is postponed, I promise." 

 

Ruby stared at her for a moment. A small smirk playing on her lips. "I'm holding you to that." She kissed the tip of her nose before grabbing her phone and dialing Emma's number. She waited patiently until the ringing stopped.

 

"Just come over. The guest room is already made up." Emma voice was laced with laughter.

 

"How did you know what I was going to ask?" Ruby questioned, surprised by Emma's greeting.

 

"Regina went through the same thing last Christmas when Eva wanted to stay with my parents. We ended up picking her up an hour after we dropped her off."

 

Ruby chuckled and shook her head. "So you feel my pain?"

 

"More than you know, bud. I'll see you in a bit." Emma responded. "And, just so you know, we do have wine."

 

*************************

 

Regina and Belle walked up the stairs toward Eva's room to check on the girls. Emma and Ruby followed a few steps behind. Belle thanked Regina the minute they walked in the door. She explained how, had this been a regular day, she would have been fine with Ariel being away. Regina waved her hand and agreed with the librarian. She let her know she completely understood what she was feeling.

 

Ruby sighed as she followed them down the hall to Eva's room. When Emma patted her shoulder sympathetically, she turned her attention to the blonde. "How long has it been since you and Regina had your.. you know... one on one time?"

 

Emma's eyebrows drew together in thought. Her face scrunched and her eyes narrowed. "Hmm... Eva is five, right?"

 

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ruby exclaimed, causing Belle and Regina to turn to her.

 

"Shhh!" Regina ordered, her finger pressed to her lips.

 

Belle shot her wife a scolding look. "You're going to wake up--"

 

"Mama?" Ariel questioned, groggily. She stepped into the hallway with Eva, both girls holding onto the arms of a stuffed dragon. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her free hand.

 

Belle turned, her hand on her heart at the sight of her baby girl. She took a few steps forward and knelt in front of her. "Hello, sweetheart." she greeted, touching her daughter's face. "Did mommy wake you?"

 

Ruby made a face. "Hey now..."

 

Ariel looked from one of her mother's to the next. "I thought you and mommy went home.."

 

"We did, but we missed you and we--"

 

"No!" Eva shouted, cutting Belle off in mid sentence. She wrapped her arms around her friend. "You promised Ariel could stay."

 

"Eva!" Regina scolded.

 

Ariel looked at her and held onto Eva. Her eyes started to water. "You can't take me home mama... You promised."

 

"No, no, Ariel." Belle protested, quickly as she pulled both girls into her arms. "Mommy and I came to stay with you." She kissed their heads. "We would never go back on a promise."

 

"Oh.. otay.." 

 

Regina crossed her arms against her chest. "Eva, isn't there something you want to say to Auntie Belle?"

 

Eva stepped back, ducking her head. "I'm sorry, Auntie Belle..." She looked up at Belle shamefully as she shifted back and forth on her feet.

 

Belle smiled at her, running her hand over her dark hair. "It's okay, sweetheart." She looked from one girl to the next. "How about we get you both back in bed and I'll read you a Christmas story?" The girls smiled brightly and nodded with excitement. Belle straightened and took their hands as they lead her into the bedroom.

 

Regina walked over to Emma. "I'm going to help her." she said, touching her wife's arm. "Why don't you and Ruby go downstairs and pour a few glasses of wine." She gave Emma a soft kiss. "We shouldn't be long." 

 

"Alright." Emma agreed as she watched Regina walk into her daughters room. She turned to Ruby, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's go have a drink." She grinned at her friend as they started to walk. "It'll help relieve some of that tension."

 

Ruby rolled her eyes and huffed a laugh. "Well, I hope you have more than one bottle then."

 

***********************

 

"So, seriously, it's been five years?" Ruby questioned, bringing the glass to her lips. She took a huge sip, swallowing hard. "Because I seriously don't think I can hold out that long."

 

Emma laughed as she ran her finger around the rim. "No, I was just messing with you." She took a sip herself. "But, there are long periods where it's an after thought." She shrugged. "I'm fully prepared to have a sporadic sex life until Eva turns eighteen and goes to college."

 

Ruby groaned as she dropped her head onto the table. "The price you pay for having an amazing daughter."

 

Emma held her glass close to her lips. "Well, Gold always said that everything comes with a price." She took another sip and swallowed before placing the glass back down.

 

Their wives soon entered the room to join them. Belle placed her hand on Ruby's back, rubbing gently as the waitress' head remained down. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern covering her features.

 

"Yeah.." Ruby mumbled, finally raising her head. A small smile formed on her lips as she looked at Belle's adorable concerned expression. "How's Ariel? Did she fall back asleep?"

 

Belle nodded. "She was so adorable. She and Eva cuddled together as we read them to sleep." She leaned into Ruby, smiling when a strong arm wrapped around her waist. "I took pictures."

 

Ruby chuckled. "Of course you did."

 

Regina picked up the bottle and made a face at how light it was. "Well, it looks like the wine is finished." she noted, shooting a sideways glance at Emma.

 

"Hey, it's not our fault you two took forever." Emma replied, nonchalantly.

 

"We left you for twenty minutes."

 

Emma shrugged again. "Twenty minutes can seem like a lifetime when you're talking about marriage and kids."

 

Regina rolled her eyes. "I guess it's time for us to go to bed then." She took Emma's hand. "Come on. You have to wake up early to make breakfast."

 

Emma stood from the stool, furrowing her brow. "Why me?"

 

Regina smirked. "Because you drank all the wine."

 

"Well, since I'm making breakfast--" Emma began as she pulled Regina closer.

 

Regina placed her hand on Emma's chest, pushing her back. "Not tonight. We have guests." She smirked wickedly when Emma's jaw slacked. "Good night, ladies." She started walking toward the stairs. "Let's go, dear."

 

Emma sighed, heavily. "So unfair." she muttered as she waved at Belle and Ruby then followed her wife up the stairs.

 

Once they were gone, Belle slipped her arms further around Ruby's neck. "Ready for bed?"

 

Ruby nodded, looking into her eyes. "I love you." she said, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. "And I love our family. I'm sorry if I came off super disappointed about tonight. I just--"

 

Belle pressed her lips to Ruby's, cutting her off. She pulled back slowly and smiled when she noticed Ruby's eyes were still closed. When warm hazel was staring back at her once again, she touched her loves face.

 

"I love you, sweetheart." Belle traced a small line down her jaw with her finger. "Come." She slid her hand down Ruby's arm and clasped their hands together. "We should take advantage of a rare silent night and get some rest."

 

Ruby stood from her chair slowly and allowed her wife to lead her to the guest room. "Since we can't exchange gifts." She moved closer, hugging Belle from behind. "Can we at least cuddle?"

 

"May we." Belle corrected with a teasing tone. "I swear our daughter gets her horrible grammar from you." She reached back and touched her wife's face once again. "And, of course. I couldn't sleep any other way."

 

Ruby smiled brightly and kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas, baby."

 

"Merry Christmas, my love."


End file.
